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IRVINE, Calif. – After a tough first day at the SoCal Tournament, the 13th-ranked UC San Diego Tritons rebounded with two wins Sunday. UCSD received eight saves from Cameron Ravanbach (La Jolla/La Jolla HS) in a strong defensive effort, holding Pomona-Pitzer scoreless in the first half to power the Tritons to a 15-4 victory in game one. In the final match of the tournament, the Tritons beat No. 10 Loyola Marymount, 9-7, for its second victory over the Lions in 2013.

The pair of wins brings the Tritons back to .500 on the year at 10-10. The Sagehens fall to 3-15 on the year, while the Lions drop to 10-9 in 2013.

After allowing nine first-quarter scores in two games yesterday, UCSD made a point to focus on getting off to a good start on day two of the SoCal Tournament. The Tritons responded with two straight periods of scoreless water polo on the defensive side and coupled it with seven first-half scores to lead 7-0 at halftime over Pomona-Pitzer.

The Tritons continued the onslaught on offense in the third quarter, finding the back of the cage four times with two more scores from Friedrich and one goal each from Watson and Cockerill. The Sagehens managed a trio of scores in the quarter to jump on the scoreboard as the game headed into the final period with UCSD up 11-3.

With total command of the match, UCSD finished off the victory in the fourth quarter by outscoring PPU 4-1. Daniel Straub (San Diego/Patrick Henry HS) started the scoring for UCSD with a goal at the 4:29 mark after PPU scored to start the quarter. Bryan Lee found the back of the cage twice before Nick Alexander tallied a score to make the final 15-4 in favor of the Tritons.

Overall, Friedrich led the Tritons in scoring with a season-high five goals in the win.

Pomona-Pitzer received goals from Jarrod Gaut, Robert Chew, Phillip Clayman and Stephen Vint in the loss, respectively.

In the nightcap, UCSD continued the strong defensive effort by holding its opponent under 10 goals for the fifth time in 2013, and the second consecutive game, to beat Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) rival LMU, 9-7.

The two teams played a tight first half, with LMU leading after the first quarter, 3-2, before the Tritons scored three times in the second quarter and held the Lions to only one goal to lead, 5-4, at intermission.

UCSD was led in the second period by Dietrich, who poured in a pair of scores, and Freidrich, who also tallied a goal.

The Tritons were able to expand its lead in the third period by outscoring LMU 3-2. The usual suspects of Dietrich and Friedrich scored a goal each, while Higginson beat the keeper at the beginning of the period to help UCSD grow its lead to a pair after three quarters, 8-6.

Looking to seal the victory, Friedrich provided some insurance with a goal to begin the fourth and raise the lead three, 9-6. UCSD followed the theme of the day for the final five minutes of the game with a strong defensive effort, only allowing one final score with 1:32 remaining to make the final 9-7 for the Tritons’ win.

Dietrich and Friedrich powered the Tritons offensively in the game with three goals apiece, while Ravanbach amassed 15 saves in the win.

Matt Cuozzo of LMU scored a game-high four goals, respectively, in the loss. Kirk Wilenius totaled nine blocks in the cage for the Lions.

After playing five games in only three days, UCSD earns a well-deserved week of rest. The Tritons will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 25, as they host WWPA foe Air Force at 6 p.m.